Endurance

CHAPTER FOUR

Mariam hurried into her room with a bucket in hand shivering. The loud chatter of her teeth was the only sound in the dimly lit room as she slowly dropped the old bucket on the floor. The rainy nights were making the mornings cold and she hoped the cold here doesn't get as harsh and dreadful as the one back home. Quickly grabbing her blanket from the tiled floor, she wrapped it tightly around her shoulders and neck to ward off the cold even though she was already dressed before returning to the room.

When she was finally able to find composure, she fetched the small container of petroleum jelly from her bag of clothes and rubbed some on her limbs and face then stood up to pray. She was done folding all the clothes she littered around before the darkness of the dawn started clearing. By quarter past six in the morning she was already seated by the porch waiting for the house to be unlocked.

The brothers came in through the door by the gates, back from the Mosque as Mas'ud and Khaled walked towards the back to their flat while Sa'ad strolled to the front door pulling out the keys from his pocket. He was close to the door when he noticed a figure by the far end of the entrance steps seated on a piece of cloth, her arms hugged her knees as she rocked back and forth.

What the.....?

"What are you doing here?". His deep voice asked towards her direction and she turned to him, a little startled. She straightened up, the swift movement causing a sudden lightheadedness she hadn't had in months distract her for half a second. She pointed to herself and then the entrance in a pathetic excuse of an explanation.

"You're waiting for the door to be unlocked this early?" . He was a bit stunned that she'd do something like that in a weather that was this cold and damp in the early hours of the morning. She nodded and gently stood up this time, taking her cloth off the ground and holding it in both hands, watching him warily. He wasn't sure why she hadn't been given the key to the house yet.

He unlocked the door even though he couldn't wrap his head around why she couldn't just wait in their quarters till the time for breakfast. He absentmindedly shrugged and pushed the door open, sauntered in and into the living room to grab the PS5 controller they left a day before by the TV. Mariam gathered her shoes and tucked them behind a plant pot by the porch steps, clutched on her little blanket and softly padded into the house, wincing slightly when her feet made contact with the cold tiled floor. Grabbing a broom and a dusting cloth, she went to the living room to get it cleaned up before the rest wake up.

The breakfast Mariam made that morning wasn't entirely bad but it wasn't good either. She knew that immediately when she stepped towards the table to clear it and every plate had a leftover on it. She let out a sigh and gathered the plates before taking them to the kitchen. There was no lunch for her that day and she knew it. She grabbed the nylon bag that she usually uses, washed it then let it dry then packed the leftovers before finishing up the dishes. She scrubbed the floor, dusted every corner necessary till her legs were numb and feet were aching from exhaustion. She will not succumb to the feeling of weakness, that was something she promised herself.

"The kitchen is squeaky clean Mariam , good job ". Layla commented strolling into the kitchen by the time Mariam was about to head out and have her own breakfast.

She quickly hid the bag containing the leftover food and smiled when she turned to the woman. Layla wore a simple navy blue and pink tinted loungewear. Her newly done braids were pulled into a lazy bun at the nape of her neck, a few strands of it fell off to dangle over her shoulders, some of them framing her face nicely. She smiled a little at the girl, before grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.

She's definitely in a good mood.

Mariam could only wonder how a woman could be this effortlessly beautiful and confident. Her aunt used to be beautiful just fine, but Layla was stunning. Zahra was just as gorgeous, but to her, Layla topped off the charts.